Impressionism in visual art preceded impressionism in music by several decades. Impressionism in music came into being in the late 19th century and continued into the 20th century.

The two main composers associated with the advent and development of Impressionism in music are Claude Debussy (1862-1916) and Maurice Ravel (1875-1937).

Not all of their works are impressionistic. Debussy rejected the term, suggesting critics borrowed it to describe his work. Nonetheless, one can find parallels between the visual and aural aspects of impressionism. In music, Impressionism tended to explore the range of color and timbre to depict atmosphere, suggestion, sensuality, rather than a clear-cut and definable program. It also tended to forgo the romantic excesses of indulgent emotionalism.

Syracuse Symphony Orchestra will present two concerts connected with the “Turner to Cezanne” exhibition:

“Pictures at an Exhibition,” featuring the music of Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, at 8 p.m. Oct. 16 and 17 at John H. Mulroy Civic Center. Mussorgsky wrote the music as a solo piano work. The composer credited by most scholars for having written the most outstanding orchestration of this work is Maurice Ravel, one of the great Impressionists. It is because of his ingenious ability as a colorist, and aural texturalist that the work is so well-known today.

“Impressionist Maters,” featuring an all-French program, 8 p.m. Nov. 20 and 21 at John H. Mulroy Civic Center. The program begins with Gabriel Faure’s “Requiem” with Syracuse University Oratorio Society.

Faure is generally not considered part of the Impressionist movement, but “Requiem,” dating from the late 1880’s pre-dates the Impressionist movement in music by only a few years. Texturally and harmonically, this work is not as intricate as the Impressionists’ works, but “Requiem” is aesthetically related to the great French Impressionists.

Debussy’s “Nocturnes for Orchestra” features three movements that could be compared to Monet’s “Haystacks” in the way timbre, mood and orchestral color continually shift, redefining the subject. The first movement is “Nuages” (Clouds), the second movement is “Fetes” (Festivals), and the third is “Sirens” (Sirens). This music is haunting and beautiful, and a great example of Impressionism in music.

The concert concludes with Maurice Ravel’s 17-minute Suite No. 2 from the ballet, “Daphnis and Chloe.” The complete ballet is one of the seminal works of Ravel and is considered a hallmark of Impressionism in music, replete in color, sensuality, clear-cut textures, that upon layering, create at times indistinct, yet energized combination of sounds. In the final romp of this work, the pulse is in very fast 5/4, an asymmetrical meter, which adds to the wild frenzy of passionate and erotic love that this work vividly suggests.

Here are some other works to listen to from the Impressionist period:

Erik Satie: “Gymnopedies” 1 and 3.

Claude Debussy: “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun,” a groundbreaking work that helped usher in modernism, based on Impressionist poet Stephan Mallarme’s “Afternoon of a Faun.”

Debussy: “La Mer” (The Sea).

Maurice Ravel: “Daphnis and Chloe,” the complete ballet.

Ralph Vaughan Williams: “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.” Williams, an Englishman, was not mentioned as one of the leaders of Impressionism. He studied with Ravel in 1908 and produced his “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” in 1909, the result of learning impressionistic techniques from the master. The work can be connected to the “Turner to Cezanne” exhibition because Joseph Mallord William Turner, also English, is credited with laying the early foundations of Impressionism in visual art. In the case of music, Williams takes up Impressionism from Ravel. Life imitates art?